Kashmir Faces Rising Threat from Poor

By Mohammad Hanief

A few weeks ago, inspectors from the Jammu and Kashmir Drugs and Food Control Organization (DFCO) tested random samples of medicines from government and public medical stores. The results were troubling.

Several batches of common antibiotics and painkillers failed to meet the basic standards of potency and purity. Some tablets dissolved too slowly, others contained less of the active ingredient than required.

These findings may sound technical, but behind them lies a human story, one of patients depending on medicines that may not heal them.

Such discoveries strike at the heart of public trust.

Thousands of people across Jammu and Kashmir walk into these stores each day with prescriptions in hand, believing the medicines they buy will bring relief. When those me